I found a clean used Bravo and my 7 year old son wants it bad! We have an Opti but we sail off a beach and the dagger board is a hassle in shallow water. Plus we don't race and there are few Optis around. My son calls the Opti a slow bathtub. He feels the need for speed!

Is the Bravo too big for a 50 pound 50 inch kid? I'll be with him for a few sails but he wants to solo.

I think the sail can be reefed so it would make sense that this boat would be perfect.

Gree2056 is correct about the sail being able to be reefed. The Bravo would be a great boat for a kid to sail. In heavier air he could have the sail reefed or all the way out in light air. Plus he could grow into it. The boat is easy to right (for me at 180lb) and is forgiving to sail. Although I'm not sure about a 50lb kids ability to right it. He may not be able to solo for a few years.

Anyone had a bad experience with kids sailing this cat? Mine are almost 10 and almost 8. They already tipped over last year and they are not heavy enough to right it themselves. Any tips advises or stories you want to share?

Watching the video, I noticed the kids didn't try righting the boat using the righting line (couldn't tell if it was installed). It does give an advantage, but I think it will be to much for someone weighting 50 lbs.

One thought to control the amount of sail to be let out is put a knot in the reefing line, limiting how much sail is let out. Just remember the more the sail is reefed in, the more tricky it is to come about.

Want to revive this post... Am considering getting a Bravo and wonder if my 2 kids (9 yr old son, 65lbs and 6 yr old daughter, 50lbs) could right this boat. Maybe a sunfish would be better for them?... for now? I just thought maybe the bravo could be a boat they sail together but I could sail solo when I don't want to go through the more involved setup for our H16. We're going to test one out on Tuesday. Any input? Thanks